Now What?
by Tobi'sgoodgirllovesSasuSaku
Summary: In the aftermath of war, how does one cope? "Just what do you want me to do about it!" "Make me live...and live for yourself."
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: There are SPOILERS from recent chapters. Some is speculation on my part of what is about to happen, but other than that there are SPOILERS. You cannot say I didn't warn you. Boom. **

The sky over the village of Konoha was grey and overcast, rain slowly beginning to fall as people dressed in black headed back to their homes. From the large tower in the center of the village a young blond man stared out the window; he was also dressed in black, his hands clasped behind his back.

"_The war is over…but at what price," _He thought, blue eyes cast towards the floor. The black clothing that all the villagers wore signified the death of their leader, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade. She, among many other casualties, gave their lives to save their comrades and protect the villagers. The remaining council of Konoha was deliberating who was to be the next Hokage; their obvious choice Hatake Kakashi had also been killed in combat, leaving them with a hard choice to make about who was to be chosen.

A knock on the door broke him from his thoughts. "Enter," He called still staring out the window. The door opened, revealing his former Academy sensei Iruka.

"The council has made their choice," Iruka said, entering the office, "They've…they've chosen you Naruto." He said softly, smiling slightly. Naruto sighed, his shoulders sagging as he released his breath.

"I'd rather have waited for Tsunade to step down then…then have _this_ happen," Naruto muttered, staring down at the ground. Iruka nodded, staring at Naruto; he realized how much Naruto had matured and grown since his days at the Academy.

"We all would have rather had that happen," He sighed, "However, what's done is done and the choice has been made. They've also decided that as your first action as Hokage, you are to decide what to do about the traitor Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at Iruka. "Send him in."

Iruka nodded, exiting the office. Immediately two ANBU brought Sasuke in, each grasping him tightly by his arms; his appearance was disheveled, chakra shackles on his wrists and ankles. They released his arms, shoving him forward towards the Hokage's desk. Naruto sat behind the desk, looking up at Sasuke; Sasuke stared back, his eyes blank and unreadable.

"Leave us," Naruto said. The ANBU began to protest before he held up his hand to silence them. "We'll be fine; I can handle him."

The ANBU looked at each other before nodding, disappearing from the office. Sasuke stared at him quietly for a few moments more before finally speaking.

"Finally got to be Hokage, huh dobe?"

Naruto's lip twitched upwards slightly as he stared at Sasuke. "Is that any way to talk to your leader Sasuke? After all, you agreed to come back to Konoha; show me some respect."

"The day I show you respect is the day hell freezes over."

Naruto chuckled, the old banter between them lifting the sadness from the day. "True, but I'd suck up if I was you. After all, your fate is in my hands right now."

"I know you won't kill me," Sasuke stated, "You're too forgiving; you're not ruthless enough. Besides, didn't you make that 'promise of a lifetime' to Sakura? She'd never forgive you if you killed me."

Naruto's ghost of a smile immediately disappeared at the mention of Sakura's name. "Don't drag her into this; hasn't she been through enough already?"

"Tch, so Kakashi and Tsunade died; big deal," Sasuke scoffed, "Death happens all the time in the life of a shinobi, especially a medic. She should know that, and she should be used to it by now."

"You don't get it do you," Naruto slammed his fist onto the table, causing Sasuke to snap to full attention, "Tsunade and Kakashi are _dead_! Tsunade, the one person who treated her as a serious kunoichi and actually _trained _heris _gone_! She was like a second mother to her; she pushed her to her limits when we all went easy on her! And Kakashi, he only just began to saw her potential! She wanted to _prove _herself to him, and now she never will!"

"So what," Sasuke snapped back, "There are a lot of people out there with the same problems as her, probably even worse! She needs to fucking get over it!"

"A lot of big talk from someone who never got over pretty much the same issues!"

Sasuke growled. "You shut the hell up dobe."

"No," Naruto said, standing up and beginning to walk towards Sasuke, "I won't shut up, because you need to hear this. You, who tried to prove yourself to your family that was ripped away from you; you left your second family, you killed your own brother, and you went _fucking crazy_!"

"I came back though didn't I," Sasuke muttered harshly. Naruto glared at him, grasping the front of his shirt and dragging him up close to his face.

"You may have come back, but you're still as heartless as ever." He said, his breath fanning across his face. "You handle things differently than Sakura; unlike you, she has a heart. And right now, it's practically ripped to _shreds_."

Sasuke stared Naruto in the face, his gaze unwavering. "Why are you telling me all this?"

Naruto sighed, releasing Sasuke as he leaned against the desk. He ran his hands over his face, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm telling you this because…because if we ever want to get back to being Team 7, you need to understand her. We're all she has left Sasuke; she may have her mom and dad, but a team is so much more than just a mother and father. You have to at least understand that…don't you?"

Sasuke simply stared at Naruto as he repeated himself, "Again, why are you telling me this?"

"We've all tried to comfort her Sasuke," He said quietly, "But…but none of us are getting through. So maybe…maybe if you try, you can get through to her. And then maybe we can try to get everything to be as close to how it used to be as before."

"What makes you think I'm good at comforting," He questioned, "I can only give her a tough love stance, and that won't make this any easier on her."

"Well maybe tough love is what she needs!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Please Sasuke…I just…I'm just…please…" He looked at him pleadingly, tears forming in his blue eyes. Sasuke stared back, sighing in defeat.

"I can't exactly go against Hokage's orders, now can I?"

* * *

Sasuke stood outside the door to the Hokage's personal quarters; according to Naruto Sakura was locked inside the room, drinking herself into oblivion with Tsunade's sake. He knelt outside the door, pulling out a small wire and beginning to pick the lock. Naruto had given him specific orders notto bust down the door, since he would have to get it replaced. Sasuke smirked as he heard a small click, turning the knob and gently easing the door open. He slipped inside the room, gently closing it behind him.

The first thing Sasuke noticed was that the room was dark and reeked of alcohol. The second thing he noticed was the lithe form of Sakura Haruno lying on the bed, curled into a ball as she silently nursed a bottle of sake. He approached her silently until he reached the foot of the bed; she looked up at him, eyes red and puffy.

"What'd ya want," She slurred, pointing at him drunkenly. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at her.

"Get out and go see people," He commanded, "You've got everyone worried."

Sakura shoved her middle finger towards him as she took a long drink from the bottle. "Fuck you Uchiha," She said, wiping her mouth, "I can…I can do whatever I feels like! Ya wanna know why? 'Cuz I'm Sakura motherfucking Haruno, that's why!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You need to get out; Naruto won't let me leave here until you do."

"Since when do you give a fuck," She asked, sitting up and swaying slightly. "You sure as hell didn' care when….when you left, and we all but screwed ourselves over to bring ya back."

"Bringing up my problems when talking about yours; how mature."

"I don' need to be mature! I've…I've lost my sensei and my shishou! Ya know what it's like, seeing the woman you look up to sliced in half? Or how 'bout having your sensei dying in your arms cuz you can't help him? Huh? _Huh?!_"

Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose; he tried to keep his anger at bay, knowing it would only lead to more conflict. "Death is a natural-"

"_Don't give me that shit_," Sakura shouted, throwing the sake bottle at him. He dodged it, the bottle shattering against the opposite wall. "If death is _so _natural for you, then why'd ya go crazy after Itachi killed your stupid family?!"

Sasuke grit his teeth, his hands balling into fists. "Sakura, watch it."

"Oh lookie me, I'm Sasuke Uchiha; I'm _so _fucking special! I can handle death however I want, but when other people have important people die I tell them to get the fuck over it! Oh la-di-fucking-"

He lunged at her, pinning her to the bed as her speech was cut off. "_Enough_," He hissed, glaring down at her. She glared up at him, her eyes glazed over with alcohol and sadness.

"It's all your fault ya know," She muttered, "If you hadn't of left, they'd still be here."

"Are you really that stupid," Sasuke growled his grip on her wrists tightening, "You really don't think Obito would have started this war if I hadn't left? That your fucking precious Hokage and sensei would still be alive?"

"Yeah," She spat, "Cuz Itachi kept him from doing anything important."

Sasuke froze at her words, eyes widened slightly. Sakura smirked slightly as she stared up at him, knowing that she had hit him where it hurt.

"That's right, Itachi," She muttered, "Your brother, the great almighty one, just kept Obito on a tight little leash. And then _you _come along and screw everything up! You kill him, and you set all this shit into motion! You're just a fucking pawn, and you _know _that this is _all your fault."_

"What the hell do you want me to do," He shouted angrily, "I can't change the past, and I sure as hell can't revive the dead! Just what do you want me to do about this?!"

Sakura panted, staring up at him as he stared back at her. She eventually leaned up towards his ear, her breath fanning across his face.

"Make me live," She whispered into his ear; she moved so that her forehead was pressed against his, "And live for yourself." She breathed, pressing her lips roughly against his. Sasuke's eyes widened, pulling back immediately.

"I'm not doing that with you," He croaked slightly. Sakura frowned, pressing her lips against his ear.

"You need it; I need it," She muttered, her tongue tracing the shell of his ear, "I don't want sex or making love; just give me a rough, passionate fuck. Give me _life_, and give yourself some damn feelings."

Sasuke's grip on her wrists tightened as she kissed him roughly again; instead of pulling back though he roughly kissed back, a side of him being unleashed that yearned for the primal feelings that she was provoking within him. One hand left her wrists as it roamed her body, an almost bruising force being put on her skin as he tore at her clothes.

Sakura entwined her fingers in his hair, pushing him closer to her as she arched into his body. She felt the fire spring into life where his hands touched her; she tugged at his hair slightly as she ground upwards into him, moaning lightly. His other hand left her wrist at her action to grasp the sheets above her; she immediately began ripping his clothes from his body, fabric tearing as she went.

Sasuke barely registered that they were both nude until he felt her slick opening against his bare, throbbing cock. He hissed as he felt the heat from her; it practically poured fire into his veins, making him want to pound her until she broke until his power. Sakura gasped slightly as she felt him, thrusting upwards to try and get him to enter her core. He growled, violently thrusting into her; Sakura bit into his shoulder as he slammed past her barrier, her teeth drawing blood.

He grunted slightly pulling out and pushing back in; he set a violent pace as he went, consumed by the carnal desire that had engulfed his body. Sakura moaned and writhed beneath him, her mind a drunken haze of liquor, pain, and pleasure; she felt _alive._ She forgot about the painful memories; Sakura forgot about Kakashi as he pulled his bloodstained mask down, giving her a grotesque glimpse of the blood bubbling from his otherwise flawless mouth. She forgot about how she saw Tsunade, her lower half somehow still twitching despite being no longer connected to her cold and still upper half. And when her orgasm ripped through her, she could barely remember who she was and why she was in such a wonderful swirl of emotions; all she knew was that she never wanted it to stop.

Sasuke stared down at her, his eyes boring into her as her face twisted into pleasure, her mouth opened in a scream that released her nightmares. He could feel his own release coming as well, and soon he was forgetting everything himself; forgetting all the betrayals and lies that had been spread through his life, and how everything was _his fucking fault_. And as he bit her shoulder harshly, his seed spilling quickly inside her, he barely remembered why he hadn't given into these desires before.

He panted as he slowly came down from the high, looking down at Sakura's body; she lay still beneath him, her pink hair fanned out around her head and her eyes closed in peaceful slumber. Sasuke smirked slightly as he felt pride swell within him at seeing her passed out from the act, disregarding the fact that she had been drinking heavily for a while and most likely hadn't had a good night's sleep in forever. He pulled out of her careful to not wake her; she rolled away from him, her back facing him as well as the vicious bite mark he had left. He stared at it before moving carefully towards her, his mouth attaching to the wound and sucking it softly.

Sakura moaned slightly in her sleep as he ran his tongue over the wound, causing him to smirk again. He pulled away, noticing that it was now a highly visible red mark against her pale skin; again, he felt a certain pride swell within him at seeing the mark. He lay beside her, close enough to share body heat but not close enough to be considered affectionate, and slowly drifted off to sleep as well.

* * *

Shafts of sunlight filtered through the closed blinds, signifying the morning. Sakura groaned as she swam towards consciousness, her head pounding with a fierce hangover.

"_My head…" _She thought, shifting slightly in discomfort. She gasped as pain shot throughout her entire body, remnants from last night's activities still fresh. Something tightened around her waist, pulling her back against a broad chest; she looked down and realized Sasuke, consciously or not, had wrapped his arm tightly around her waist. She shivered slightly as she felt his warm breath slowly fan across the back of her neck; Sasuke nuzzled the crook of her neck, still asleep enough to only know that his source of warmth was moving.

"_I need to get out of here," _She thought frantically, trying to work her way out from Sasuke's grip. Sasuke refused to have any of that though, his grip continually tightening until she was crushed against him. Sakura gasped as she felt every hard contour of muscle pressed against her back; she wished she could just lay there basking in his body until the pain from her own wore off, but she knew that she had to stop this before either became too attached.

"Sasuke," She said, nudging his shoulder. Sasuke grunted, eyes squeezing tighter as he ducked his face into the space between her shoulder and the bed. Sakura frowned, adding more force as she began to shake him awake.

"Wake up Sasuke," She said louder, her hand shaking his shoulder. He growled, grasping her wrist as he suddenly flipped her onto her stomach, his body pressing against hers as he pressed her into the mattress. Sakura blushed as she felt him near her ear, his breath ghosting against the shell.

"Stop moving," He muttered against her ear, "I'm trying to sleep."

Sakura twisted her neck as much as she could to glare up at him. "Well sorry to ruin your beauty sleep, but some of us want to leave."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow as he gazed down at her blankly. "You seemed quite intent on staying in here last night."

"Well that was before we fucked," Sakura muttered harshly, "Now we've fucked, and now I want to go back to my house. So _get off me._"

He sighed, moving enough so that Sakura could lie on her back; he didn't move enough though to allow her to leave, causing her to glare up at him. He stared down at her before slowly leaning in, his forehead resting against hers.

"You said last night to live for myself and to make you feel alive," He muttered. He saw the confusion flit across her face; obviously she wasn't remembering due to the alcohol or, as one part of him whispered, he successfully fucked her until she forgot everything.

"So what does that have to do with anything?" She asked, glaring up at him.

"What if I told you the exact same thing?"

She snorted. "That's stupid; I already live for myself."

"Do you," He murmured, noting that she still had tear tracks on her face. "You've always lived for _others_, never for yourself. You've lived to prove yourself to others, to make others happy, but never to make yourself content."

Sakura looked away from him, her gaze landing on the floor. Sasuke grasped her chin lightly, forcing her to look back at him; he held her gaze as he spoke, never looking away.

"In a way, you and I are the same; so therefore, why not teach each other?" He leaned in closer, his lips gently brushing against the shell of her ear. "You can teach me to follow my own path, and I…I can teach you to be _selfish _once in a while."

She shivered as she felt her body react to his actions; she wanted nothing more than to just press against him again. "But what…what if I hurt those that I love?"

He smirked, his lips dragging from her earlobe to the corner of her mouth, hovering just above her own lips. "As long as you're happy, they'll be happy. Besides, the one you love has already decided that he'll live for you until you teach him otherwise."

Sakura's eyes widened. "S-Sasuke…"

He silenced her with a kiss; she immediately entangled her fingers into his hair as her body pressed closer to his. His hands roamed her body carefully, not wanting to ruin her pleasure by pressing harshly against any bruises. Sakura moaned lightly as his thumb brushed over her nipple; he slipped his tongue into her mouth, gently brushing against hers. In that moment she realized that he wanted her to _tell _him how she wanted it; that he wanted her to be selfish and have him give her pleasure the way _she _wanted it.

Sasuke detached himself from her mouth, kissing her neck; he gently bit down, causing her to gasp and arch against him. He smirked as he sucked the mark, running his tongue over it.

"M-More," She breathed shakily, eyes sliding shut, "B-Be like that."

Sasuke gave a slight nod, abandoning the faint red mark he had left and continued downwards. Sakura's eyes stayed shut, pure pleasurable sensations running through her as he continued his slow descent. Whenever he did something that caused her to feel displeasure she gently reprimanded him, directing him in how to give her pleasure.

And as she experienced her first orgasm from his tongue on her nether regions, she faintly wondered if maybe this was his own version of love and apologies.

* * *

Naruto held his head in his hands as he sat behind his desk, dressed in the traditional Hokage robes. A knock resounded on the door before being opened, revealing Shikamaru as he entered the office.

"It's a little early to call such an 'important meeting'," Shikamaru muttered, yawning slightly, "This better be good."

"It's not good, not good at all," Naruto groaned, running his hands down his face. "That's why I need a genius like you to tell me what to do!"

"Troublesome…If it's so bad, why not consult the council?"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…it's not exactly something that warrants a trip to the council…"

Shikamaru yawns again. "Why not talk with someone who actually slightly cares about your personal problems?"

"Because the both of them are fucking each other's brains out," Naruto wailed, slamming his head on his desk. Shikamaru choked on air, his face burning a bright red.

"Th-The hell?!"

"They're having sex on my bed," Naruto moaned, gazing up at him pitifully, "My new sacred bed! The bed that I've worked towards for so long; desecrated! By them both! And, and that bastard is probably only using her and she's gonna get hurt again! What do I do," He whined, slumping over in his seat. Shikamaru sighed, scratching his head as he stared at Naruto; to him relationships within the team were such a drag.

"Well," He sighed after a long pause of silence; Naruto's head jerked up at his voice. "There's only one thing you can do."

"What's that?" Naruto asked excitedly. "Give them both a stern talking? Do my best to show Sakura that the bastard's no good for her? Tell Sasuke to keep his paws off?"

"Nope," Shikamaru said, "Just set boundaries and either give them the mattress or burn it."

Naruto's jaw dropped as Shikamaru headed out the door, raising his hand in farewell. As soon as Shikamaru left Naruto scrambled up from his seat, rushing to the door and shouting at Shikamaru's back.

"H-Hey, that's not an answer! Come on man, don't leave me hanging! Shikamaru? Shikamaru, get back here! _Shikamaru!"_

* * *

Sakura lay beside Sasuke, her body limp with satisfied sleep as he sat beside her. Sasuke smirked as he looked over at her; he had sensed Naruto's chakra coming to the room and had given her _exactly _what she needed as Naruto approached the door. His smirk grew bigger as he remembered her gasps and cries of pleasure as Naruto froze outside the door before bolting back to his office.

"_Hn…Stupid dobe,"_ He thought, brushing a few strands of hair from Sakura's face. His fingers slowed as he gazed on her peaceful face; the tear tracks were washed away, and in that moment she looked so content in that moment that he wondered if everything that had happened was just a horrible dream. Yet they both had the scars, physical and mental, to prove that everything wasn't just a wicked nightmare; it had happened, and they had survived it.

"_And now…"_ He thought, leaning down to brush his lips against her temple. He wasn't sure why he did it; a feeling had come over him, and he was so used to giving into emotions these past few hours that he did it unconsciously. And although he wasn't used to this feeling of contentment that washed over him, he knew for a fact that he wouldn't mind experiencing it every day for the rest of his life.

"_And now we live."_

* * *

**A/N: I've been having angsty passionate SasuSaku feelings that haven't been fulfilled. Usually they're fulfilled with roleplaying, but nobody is fulfilling these needs. So…yeah. Written in about a day, probably shows really well, blah blah blah, haters gonna hate. Review and you get a cookie!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did I wouldn't be keeping this up for about another year and a half or so. I'd finish this shit UP, because if I was Kishi I'd be tired of spending ten years on this. **


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura bit her bottom lip as she stared at papers sprawled across Tsunade's-no, it now belonged to _her_, she mentally reprimanded herself-desk, her eyes drawn to the test results laid in front of her. She lifted the stapled sheets, eyes poring over various symbols and results for the umpteenth time since she had received them; she was still slightly in shock over what had happened. A knock resounded on her door, causing her to jump and shove the papers under her desk.

"Come in," She called, grabbing some mundane paperwork to make it appear that she had been working. The door opened, and in came a blonde blue-eyed female; the two shared a smile as she closed the door behind her.

"Working hard or hardly working," She joked, walking to take a seat in front of Sakura's desk. Sakura snorted as she picked up a pen.

"I could ask you the same thing pig," Sakura said, raising an eyebrow, "Don't you have rounds to be doing?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm on break now. Besides, I can always push my duties off on that Karin chick; she's a bit rough when it comes to handling people."

"What a wonderful example you're setting Ino," Sakura said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. Ino grinned, sitting up tall and proud.

"Why I thank you for the compliment," She said, causing the both of them to giggle. After their laughter had subsided, Ino's face took on a more serious appearance. "How are you feeling by the way?"

Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples. "Ino-"

"Don't give me that tone of voice," She reprimanded, "I know it's been a few month since everything ended, but you went through a _lot_. And, well…we haven't talked a lot during that time, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Sakura gave her a small smile. "I'm fine; I've just been really busy. Taking over for Tsunade, rebuilding Team 7, not to mention having to rehabilitate Sasuke…It's all just been a lot to handle I guess."

She nods. "But you've been coping okay? No harmful or risky behavior?"

Sakura's mind flashed back to the hidden test results underneath the table; her smile was a little more forced this time. "No, I'm doing well. It's getting…easier as time passes. No need to worry, really."

Ino sighed. "Sakura…I know what's going on. Between you and Sasuke."

Sakura's eyes widened as her test results hit the ground.

* * *

"Man teme, you ever think of downsizing," Naruto asked, wiping sweat from his brow, "This place took so long to _clean!"_

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, putting the cleaning supplies away, "Maybe if you actually _cared_ about neatness, you wouldn't find this so cumbersome."

"Hey, I care about cleanliness!"

"Naruto, the last time I opened the door to your apartment, a flood of _roaches _and ramen containers came out."

"Hey man, I'm busy being super awesome! I don't have time to clean up!" Naruto whined, plopping himself down on the couch. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he looked over at Naruto.

"Speaking of which, don't you have something to attend to?"

Naruto shrugged, stretching out. "After the war, everything's been pretty peaceful. Nothing really to do, you know?"

Sasuke nodded, thinking over the past few months. Naruto had been instated as Hokage; his face was already carved into the mountainside, a monument to his lifelong goal. All the countries were too busy dealing with the losses on all fronts to instigate anything, thus leading to a peaceful time for everyone.

"_Well, _almost _everyone,"_ Sasuke thought, his thoughts drifting towards Sakura. After she had finally exited the Hokage's chambers, she slowly began integrating herself in the positions left to her from Tsunade's death. In the beginning the transition had been painful, resulting in multiple couplings between her and Sasuke in order for her to cope; eventually though the couplings happened less frequently, something that Sasuke refused to admit made him slightly disappointed.

"_You miss her," _teased a part of his mind. Sasuke mentally scoffed; the two of them spent much quality time together of a non-sexual manner since, not only were they rebuilding team 7, Sakura was helping him to overcome his own demons. In return, Sasuke was helping her to stop living for everyone else and to live for herself; sometimes the lessons ended with discreet sex in public places, much to Sasuke's pleasure.

A knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts, both his head and Naruto's snapping towards it. Naruto hopped up, heading to the door, leaving Sasuke standing there staring. He opened the door, revealing a panting Sakura, papers clutched tightly in her hands. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her appearance; normally she was at the hospital at this hour, and certainly she didn't look like that.

"Sakura, what are you doing here," Naruto asked, surprise evident in his voice. Sakura merely pushed past him, causing him to stumble slightly, as she headed straight towards Sasuke.

"I need to talk with Sasuke," She said, casting a glance over her shoulder at Naruto, "Alone."

Naruto blinked, looking up at Sasuke. "Are you sure? Because whatever you need to say, you can say in front of-"

"_Leave_," She hissed, spinning around to face him completely. Naruto took a step back, practically feeling a chill waft through the room from her icy attitude. Hesitantly he nodded, slowly exiting the house.

"I guess," He said, pausing at the door, "I guess I'll see you around?" He asked, looking at Sasuke. Sasuke nodded, causing Naruto's shoulders to relax as he closed the door behind him.

Sasuke turned his full attention onto Sakura. "What's wrong?"

"She knows," Sakura said, her chest rising and falling rapidly, "She knows, she knows and that means others might know, and…and God _damn it_ we weren't careful enough!" She shouted, her hands gripping her hair tightly. Sasuke immediately grabbed her wrists, forcing her arms down to her sides.

"Calm down," He commanded. Sakura blinked rapidly, doing her best to steady her breathing to prevent herself from hyperventilating. Once he was sure that she was calm enough to make sense, he repeated his earlier question.

"What's wrong?"

And Sakura told him the earlier events.

* * *

"_What…what do you mean," Sakura asked, her fake smile faltering slightly. _

"_You know exactly what I mean Sakura," Ino said, arms crossed over her chest, "You're screwing Sasuke Uchiha."_

_Sakura's mouth fell into a hard line. "So what if I am? And how the hell did you even find out?"_

"_It's kind of hard _not _to find out when you two are screwing in the training field!"_

_Sakura's cheeks turned pink at the memory; she had been frustrated at not being able to live up to her training expectations, and the stress of the hospital was teetering on the edge of a breaking point. Sasuke had been nearby, and had ultimately convinced her to do what she needed to ease her stress. She ultimately beat him to a pulp, put him back together, and then the two had fucked against a tree with her in his lap. _

"_And as for why I care, how do you think Naruto would feel," Ino continued, "Hell, he probably knows already, so how do you think he feels knowing his two best friends are fooling around behind his back?"_

"_He should get over it," Sakura snapped, "And go chase after Hinata."_

"_As much as I agree with you," Ino said, "That doesn't make it right."_

"_And why does it have to be right," Sakura shouted, "Why can't it be wrong?"_

"_Because _that's not you _Sakura! You're a kind and caring person; you always put everyone first!"_

"_Well maybe I'm _tired _of putting people first. Maybe I want to put myself first for once!"_

"_So you go and fuck Sasuke," Ino asked incredulously, "He's never going to love you, I hope you know that. That boy is incapable of emotions and you're only going to get hurt in the end."_

"_Well maybe that's what I need to snap me out of this," She growled, "Maybe in order to _stop _loving him and move on, I need to get hurt!"_

"_And then we'll be back to how you were when Tsunade and Kakashi died!" Ino said, throwing her hands up in the air. "You're only setting yourself up for a vicious cycle!"_

"_How's that going to be any different from these past few months; hell, these past few _years_?!"_

"_Because you weren't pregnant then!"_

_Sakura froze her eyes wide and her jaw slack; she had been caught off guard by Ino knowing about her relationship with Sasuke, but _this _took everything to a new level. _

"_Yeah that's right, _I know_," Ino said. "And you better believe that I'll tell your parents about this."_

"You will do no such thing!" _Sakura shouted, standing up as she slammed her fists on the table. Ino glared back at her, her blue eyes hard as ice. _

"_Yes I will," She said calmly, "I will, because I'm worried about you and clearly you are not in the right state of mind anymore to make good decisions."_

"_Fuck you Ino," She growled, snatching her pregnancy test results from the floor. She stormed out of her office, giving her door a hard enough slam that it shook the door frame. _

* * *

Sasuke stared at her as Sakura finished her tale, his mind racing with all the information but focusing on the one large detail: _pregnant._

"You're…" He began, "You're pregnant?"

Sakura threw the test results at him. "It's all right there."

He caught them, flipping through the results. "It says you're about two months along," He muttered, looking up at her, "You're just noticing it now?"

"Well sorry, but I've been a little _busy_ in case you haven't noticed," She snapped, running her fingers through her hair.

"You're taking care of yourself, right?" He asked, watching her pace. She froze and looked up at him, eyes narrowed into a harsh glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that obviously you haven't been paying enough attention to your needs if you didn't even notice you were pregnant."

"I've been running the fucking _hospital_," She hissed, "You really think I have enough time to notice if I'm bleeding or not?!"

"Well things like that are pretty hard to miss, aren't they?"

She threw her hands into the air. "When you're under stress, it's actually pretty easy!"

"Well then relax," He said harshly, "You're going to end up killing yourself and this baby if you keep it up!"

She paused, realization hitting her full force. "That's all you care about, isn't it?"

Sasuke was confused by her sudden change but didn't let it show. "What are you talking about?"

"This baby," She said, running her fingers through her hair. "You…you couldn't give a shit about me, you just want a stupid heir to the Uchiha clan. You've never fucking cared about helping me, you just wanted to knock me up!"

"Sakura, just calm dow-."

"Well maybe I don't want this baby," She shouted at him. Sasuke stopped talking, eyes widening slightly as he registered what she said. She nodded, taking sick delight in watching him stare at her in slight shock.

"Yeah, that's right. Maybe I'll just abort this kid; I could do it you know. I could do it right here in front of you, right now. It would only take a bit of chakra and then bye-bye baby."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. "You would never do that."

"And how do you know," She yelled, "You've been telling me to put myself before others, and that's exactly what I'm doing! Except this time, I'm putting myself before _you, _and you just can't handle that can you?"

"That's not the-"

"_Can you_?!"

"Will you shut the fuck up and _listen_?" He shouted at her; Sakura looked down at the floor, her voice now calmer and quiet.

"I told you this would happen."

"That'd you get pregnant," He said exasperatedly. Sakura shook her head, still not looking at him.

"No," She said, feeling her voice waver slightly, "I told you I'd hurt the ones I love, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

Sasuke heard the quiver, slowly reaching out to her. "Sakura-"

"Don't try to deny it!" She looked up at him, eyes filled with unshed tears. "I'm hurting everyone with our relationship, I'm hurting you by getting pregnant…Christ, and I'm hurting _myself _by just _being _here!"

He paused in his movements towards her. "What do you mean?"

She smiled bitterly, looking down at the ground. "Thinking through everything…we're never getting past this, are we? You'll never love me like I love you, and now I'm stuck in this position where no matter what I do I'll be miserable."

He gently touched her wrist as she finished. "And why do you say that?"

"If I abort this child," She said, her hand resting on her stomach, "I'll hate myself forever. If I give birth to it, you'll snatch it away and then I'll be left with this gaping hole; it'll be like having aborted it except worse."

"Then why not raise the child with me?"

She looked up at him incredulously. "Because I don't want you to be tied to me solely for a child! I don't want to be in a serious yet loveless relationship or a loveless marriage! I want someone to actually care for me!"

He pulled her close to him, his arms wrapping around her to press her against his chest. "Who said," He began, his head resting on her shoulder, "That I didn't care about you?"

Sakura closed her eyes as she shook her head. "Y-You don't care that way…"

"How do you know," He said, his hand resting against her upper back, "Have I told you that I don't? Have I ever given any indication that I don't?"

Sakura thought about what he said, and slowly bits and pieces of the past few months were revealed in a new light. The way he would sometimes do small gentle gestures during sex and then stay beside her as she slept, or at least leave a note; the small brushes against each other in public and how he would treat her to a meal if a particular day at the hospital had been busy. All of these things came to her in full force, causing the dam of emotions inside to be broken.

"You…" She sobbed out, tears streaming down her face, "Y-You do…y-you…"

He moved so that they were facing each other; his hand cupped her cheek as he brushed tears away. "Always," He muttered softly.

Sakura's tears fell faster as she kissed him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he responded immediately. One hand gripped the back of his shirt as the other wove through his hair; his hands occupied themselves with bringing her closer to him. They eventually pulled away panting slightly and having a slight red tinge to their faces, although Sakura's was more noticeable. Sakura looked up at him, pressing her forehead against his as she caressed his cheek.

"Make love to me Sasuke," She said softly, closing the distance between their lips again. Never before had she asked him for love; she had only demanded sex from him. Sasuke responded to her kisses, his hands tangling in her hair.

"Is it," He murmured in between kisses, "Is it…safe?"

He felt Sakura give a slight nod, which was more than enough incentive for him to pick her up and carry her down the hall towards his bedroom.

* * *

Ino sighed as she walked down the streets of Konoha, running her fingers through her hair. After her confrontation with Sakura, Ino was unable to focus on her work and decided it was best to give her duties to Karin much to the chagrin of said girl. Ino rolled her eyes as she remembered the red head yelling at her as she left.

"_If she wasn't Naruto's cousin or something like that, I'd knock her upside the head," _Ino thought, smirking slightly at the thought. It disappeared immediately though when her thoughts turned back to her earlier conversation with Sakura, causing her to give a groan of frustration.

"God damn it," She groaned, kicking a rock out of frustration. It flew a good few feet in the air before bouncing the rest of the way down the path.

"Man, is everybody in a bad mood today," A voice commented from a side street to her left, causing Ino to look over and spot Naruto. He was walking towards her, his arms casually crossed behind his head as he gave her a questioning look. "I mean, teme's always in a bad mood, and then Sakura came in like-"

"Sakura's at Sasuke's right now," Ino snapped her eyes wide. Naruto stepped back slightly, taken aback by her sudden outburst.

"Uh yeah, she said she needed to talk with him," Naruto said holding up his hands defensively, "Look, if you're going through a 'I love Sasuke' phase, don't shoot the messenger!"

"Like I give a fuck about that prick," She snorted, arms crossing over her chest. She looked over at Naruto; her eyes softened at his confused look. "You don't even know what they're doing right now, do you?"

Naruto smiled sadly. "No…I know exactly what they're doing."

* * *

"Sa…Sasuke," Sakura gasped out, her head arching back as he lightly bit down on her neck. She was lying back on the bed with Sasuke pressed closely to her; the only clothing she had were her bra and panties.

Sasuke smirked at her reaction; after the amount of time they spent together, he knew her neck and ears were incredibly sensitive places. He kissed his way up to her earlobe, nibbling it lightly before taking it into his mouth to suck on. Sakura groaned underneath her, her eyes closing tightly as she felt herself get hotter from his ministrations. He slipped his hand underneath her panties, causing her to buck slightly as he ran a finger down her slit.

"So wet," He breathed, nibbling on her ear as he slipped a finger into her. She moaned as he did, feeling it curve to teasingly caress a highly sensitive spot. Her breath catches in her throat as she feels his knuckle gently brush against her clit; she cries out as he speeds up his finger, slipping a second one in.

Sasuke nips along her jawline, feeling pride and lustful fire run through his veins at every pleasured sound she made; _he_ was the one to make her feel this way, and he wanted to make sure that for as long as they both lived-

"Sasuke!"

-He would be the _only _one to do it.

* * *

"You've…you've known?" Ino asked incredulously. Naruto nodded, scratching the back of his neck.

"I…I almost walked in on them once." Naruto said, feeling heat rush to his face as the memory came back to him. He remembered heading to the room, wondering if Sasuke had done it or if Sakura had killed him in a drunken rage. He supposed he had been too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice until he was right outside the door and had heard Sakura's keening cry of Sasuke's name.

"And you haven't said anything to them about it," Ino demanded, her hands on her hips. She was furious at Sakura; she couldn't believe that her kind and caring best friend would just so carelessly toss common decency and Naruto's feelings aside in order to have a passionate fuck.

Naruto shrugged, his hands falling to his sides. "I asked Shikamaru what to do, and he basically said leave them alone. And…and the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right."

"Oh really," Ino said, raising an eyebrow, "And just how is that the right way to go about it?"

"Because they've always wanted each other," Naruto said, smiling slightly, "Ever since we were genin, I could see that Sakura affected Sasuke in a way that was just…_different _from how I affected him. He was less of a hard ass and more of a human being around her; hell he sometimes gave little _smiles,_ and you know that one is impossible!"

Ino remained silent as Naruto continued his explanation. "And he would act so _jealous _when she would pay attention to other guys that it was practically comical! And yeah, maybe he's emotionally retarded; but he's _learning _just by being _around _her, so that means that he's _trying for her_."

"…But is trying going to be enough?" Ino asked, her arms crossed over her chest. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ino.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean is Sakura going to be able to handle that," Ino shouted, "She can't go waiting around forever for a guy to _finally _admit that he likes her! She needs to just give up on him before she gets her heart crushed again and move onto something stable!"

Naruto smiled slightly. "The thing is, Ino, Sakura _won't _move on."

Ino glared at him. "And why's that?"

Naruto looked up towards the sky as he spoke. "Because eventually Sasuke will let her know just how _much _he cares about her when she's getting ready to leave."

* * *

Sakura lay curled beside Sasuke, her head resting on his chest as she recovered from their passionate lovemaking. Sasuke had an arm wrapped loosely around her waist, his other arm supporting his head as he lay back on the bed. She sighed, moving up slightly so that her head was nestled within the crook of his neck. He glanced down at her, an eyebrow raised since he knew from the past that she was never as affectionate as she was now.

"Something wrong?"

She gave a slight nod, looking up at him. "I'm just wondering, what…what do we do now?" _"What _are _we now?" _She thought to herself. Sasuke looked up at the ceiling again, pondering her question; after a few moments of silence, he spoke.

"We should tell your parents," He said, "And then you should move in with me."

Sakura sat up slightly, looking down at him; he turned his head to look over at her. "I…M-Move _in?"_

He shrugged. "It would make it easier to care for the baby if we were living together."

"I-I know that," She said, blushing lightly, "But you…you don't mind that I'll be living with you?" She asked shyly, looking down at the bed. He sat up, reaching out to her; he gently grasped her chin, lifting her eyes so that he could look into them.

"I may not be able to give you the exact words that you're looking for now," He murmured as he stared into her eyes, "But I swear that if you live with me, I'll do what I can to make sure you never regret this decision."

Sakura felt tears slightly prick her eyes; she embraced Sasuke, her face buried with the crook of his neck. He slowly wrapped his own arms around her, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"Thank you," She muttered against his neck. He nodded, kissing her temple lightly as he pushed a few strands of hair away from her face gently.

"_I should be thanking you," _He thought as he held her close, _"After all…You've taught me how to live."_

* * *

**A/N: *doesn't know why Sasuke gets the last word* He just does, okay? And yes, I've had this baby sitting in my brain for like a week or so after I posted the first chapter. Ya'll reeeaaallllyyyy wanted a second part to this. And double yes, this last part was written during some sappy time. *coughWatchingAircough* So hope you enjoyed, please review, you'll get a cookie, and all that jazz. Until next time, JAA MATA!**


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